Are You Raising a Bully?

Did you see the video? I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. As I watched I was so sad for this 68 year old woman, a bus monitor for middle school students in New York, being bullied relentlessly.

The kids taunted Karen Klein using profanity, insults, jeers and physical ridicule. Some of the bullies demanded to know her address, saying they wanted to go to her house to perform sexual acts and steal from her. Another one of them said, “You’re so fat.”

One comment from a boy aboard the bus appeared to be especially painful. He told her that she didn’t have a family because “they all killed themselves because they didn’t want to be near you.” According to reports, Klein’s oldest son committed suicide ten years ago.

The bullying went on for about 10 minutes in the video. The video was recorded by a student with a cell phone camera and now the brazen example of bullying has gone viral.

Why does bullying continue to be so pervasive in our society? What can we do? What can parents do? Watch the video for some answers.

How should these bullies be disciplined? I’d love to know your thoughts.

According to USC Sociologist, Karen Sternheimer, all parents need to take a close look at their own actions.